Shloka 125
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
न च सुप्तं प्रमत्तं वा न्यस्तशस्त्रं कृताउ्जलिम् | धावन्तं मुक्तकेशं वा हन्ति पार्थो धनंजय:
na ca suptaṁ pramattaṁ vā nyastaśastraṁ kṛtāñjalim | dhāvantaṁ muktakeśaṁ vā hanti pārtho dhanañjayaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Arjuna —Pārtha, Dhanañjaya, fils de Kuntī— ne frappe pas un homme endormi ou inattentif, qui a déposé ses armes, qui se tient les mains jointes en supplication, qui s’enfuit, ou qui défait ses cheveux pour montrer son impuissance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in warfare, dharma imposes limits: a righteous warrior should not kill those who are defenseless—sleeping, careless, unarmed, supplicating with folded hands, fleeing, or visibly surrendering. Arjuna is presented as embodying this restraint.
In the Sauptika Parva context—where night-time slaughter and attacks on the unsuspecting are central—Sañjaya highlights Arjuna’s established conduct in battle, contrasting his standards with acts that violate the accepted code of combat.